new opportunities
by restive
Summary: Clarke is stressed about her last semester in college, and Bellamy is there for her, of course.


**This is dedicated to those of us leaving education and going into employment for the first time because that stuff is terrifying.**

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Clarke is laying on the sofa, feeling awful and possibly contemplating throwing up when she hears Bellamy's, "Hello?" from the corridor.

"In the living room!" she yells.

She hears his steps approaching and then it's him, standing there, tall and handsome as always, and his worried face. But then he notices the coffee table and the remainders of food there, and, having relaxed slightly, lets out a disappointed sigh.

"Did you eat an entire tub of Ben & Jerry's in one sitting again?"

Clarke hugs her stomach again and scrunches up her nose. "It's not my fault, it's peanut butter cup flavour! No person in their sane mind would resist."

Bellamy smiles indulgently. "And now you feel like you're going to throw up."

"Yeah," she says, and it sounds like a whine.

"Move over."

She moves her feet a little, and Bellamy sits down and then puts her feet in his lap. "You guys should really lock your front door. I don't know how many times I'm going to tell you that."

"Tell that to Raven and Octavia – it's them who always forgets," Clarke says, but at Bellamy's pointed look she sighs. "Fine, I forget too. But you know, if the door was locked, you'd be staring at it from the other side right now because there's no way I would've gotten up to let you in."

"Touché."

"I'm never so much as looking at food again," she says, closing her eyes and listening to the intro to _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_. She suspects Bellamy put it on because he knows it's her favourite pick-me-up show.

Then, just as she suspected, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Clarke just shrugs, not knowing what to say.

"You're obviously stressed, so tell me why," he pauses and looks away. "You don't have to, of course. I know you're the type to pretend your feelings don't exist rather than shout about them, but talking might help? And, you never know, but I might have some wisdom to impart on you."

She considers that for a second, then chews her bottom lip a little.

"I applied for like fifteen jobs Friday night. Have gotten zero response back so far. Plus, I had a nightmare last night where I didn't get a single job and had to work as a shopping assistant at Walmart for the rest of my life. And I know it sounds stupid, but it was one of those repetitive nightmares that I just couldn't shake. In short, I'm terrified," she doesn't look at him as she says that, choosing to concentrate on the chipping nail polish on her right hand.

She can feel rather than see him shake his head. "Clarke, this was last Friday? It's Wednesday today, it's been what? Three days? They wouldn't have even started looking at your applications until Monday morning at the earliest. Them not getting back to you yet means nothing, you have to wait at least a couple of weeks to know for sure you didn't get them."

Clarke knows this, she does. It's just that it's her last semester of college, and she always thought she'd be one of those people who aren't scared to graduate. She thought she'd be excited. And she is, she likes change and new opportunities. But she also likes to be sure and to know where her future is going, and right now it's just a huge question mark, and that terrifies her.

"How long did it take you to get your job?"

He contemplates that for a second. "I think they took a few weeks to contact me. I'm pretty sure."

Clarke sighs. "Maybe my mother is right and I should go to medical school."

Bellamy raises his eyebrows. "Do you want to go to medical school?"

"I really don't want to go to medical school."

He chuckles at that, and they both remain quiet for a few moments.

"Everything is going to be fine with you, trust me. You're smart and talented and have good grades; someone will want to hire you. And it's amazing that you know what you want to do and you're pursuing it," he tells her with a face so serious as if he's making an official speech. Clarke loves it. "Worrying like this is completely normal," he smiles at her softly. "Just don't eat that much ice cream in one go again, okay?"

That reminds her of the feeling of sickness that she forgot about for a minute, and she frowns. "Trust me, I won't."

Clarke sits up and moves so that they're side by side, and hugs him. Bellamy hugs back – affectionate and warm, and she smiles softly. He always makes her feel better.

Raven appears in the living room as if out of nowhere (it always scares Clarke how quietly she moves around, especially with that brace of hers), and sees them hugging.

"Ugh, get a room," she says with a dramatic eye roll, and Clarke and Bellamy pull apart, blushing like school kids, but then Raven notices the empty tub on the coffee table. "Clarke! You ate my ice cream!"

"Sorry," she shrugs her shoulders, giving her a sheepish look. "I promise I'll buy you another one."

Raven just rolls her eyes again and walks away with a bottle of water from the fridge. Clarke looks at Bellamy, and they both smile at the ridiculousness of the situation, and Clarke thinks that everything will be okay.

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**Thank you for reading, and please, review!**


End file.
